Who are the millennials? Known by some to belazy, narcissistic, impatient but extremely tech-savvy and ambitious generation with a willingness to change the world. According to Environics Analytics, millennials make up 37% of the Canadian labor force now, and this number is expected to rise to 75% by 2028. They have high expectations for everything, so how they can change the way ERP software is implemented?

1. Accessible Anywhere, Anytime

Millennials want data to be available whenever and wherever they want it - and it relates not only to mobile access. They invented the term "Bring Your Own Device" (BYOD), which means that they want to see all the necessary data on their personal devices. In this case, an ERP system needs to be flexible, mobile and easily accessible.

2. User-Friendly Interface

When a millennial can't understand how to use a software system within the first 15 minutes, it’s hard to force him or her to use it again. Because of this, it’s important that ERP systems and implementation be seamless and user-friendly.

3. Analytics Is Key

Real-time KPIs, customized dashboards, and personalized reports shouldn't be something that your ERP system can't provide. Millennials are passionate about analytics, and they expect to have all the modern tools available to get valuable insights, that will help them to make fast and accurate decisions.

Even though ERP vendors try to make implementation as smooth as possible, there are still some challenges that may come along the way. It takes a lot of time for employees to get used to the new software and start to get benefits from it but there's a way to make this transition faster. Below are three tips on how to make an ERP system implementation more comfortable for your employees.

1. Build an ERP system around existing business processes

Often, business processes of a company are adjusted to an ERP system. But it's a big mistake. To start getting benefits from an ERP system as soon as possible, it's better to identify all the gaps in the company and then build an ERP system around existing business processes.

2. Establish trust with your ERP implementation partner

Your ERP implementation partners are the experts who know how to make the transition to a new or a different ERP software as seamless as possible. It’s important to establish trust and ensure that you’re honest with all your ERP needs so an accurate timeline for delivery and solution can be implemented. Also, make sure that all your employees are getting local support within the departments from the very beginning of the implementation.

3. Use online training

By nature, people are used to oppose to changes, and this relates to your employees as well. Just imagine how they will resist a new ERP system adoption, if you tell them, that they need to attend in-class training. Make them learn it by themselves with the online training. It will allow them to learn a new ERP system whenever and wherever they want, just with an available Internet connection.

With the help of Microsoft Dynamics, thousands of companies have successfully integrated ERP software into their companies, which has helped them to reduce their operational costs, minimize their capital investments among other benefits. However, the system is not infallible. Part of the reason we here at WebSan offer support services as well as online training is because we recognize that ERP software is still a complex system and difficult to figure out on your own. Although self-learning is not discouraged, many companies dive head-first into a new ERP software without taking important considerations into account which can only create future headaches. Below, we outline 3 common mistakes companies make with their ERP software implementation and offer suggestions on how to best avoid them:

1. Poor planning:

At this point, you’ve most likely heard that thousands of companies are using ERP software to help streamline their business operations as well as how it has helped companies expand their operations. At this point, companies may decide to jump on the bandwagon, purchase an ERP system and expect their company to instantly become more productive. This however, is never the case. Research is imperative to ensure that the product will suit the needs of your business. Lack of planning and research on what ERP software is best for your company will at best result in failing to utilize the software to its fullest potential, and at worst be a huge waste of time and money. Be sure to research the product beforehand, and if necessary seek third party help to better understand how to successfully implement ERP into your company.

2. Insufficient company engagement:

As mentioned, ERP software can be complicated and comes with a learning curve. Many companies are still hesitant to either update their current systems or use any ERP software at all. Some companies become frustrated and turned off by this, as they may not be seeing results fast enough or may perceive this learning period as a detriment towards overall company productivity. ERP software is not a magical device designed to solve all problems, and requires time and patience to master. Without taking the time and patience to learn how to use it, the software quickly becomes useless and companies may as well go back to using Excel.

3. Losing sight of initial business needs:

There are various Microsoft Dynamics products that were specifically designed to help with certain tasks within a company. During the implementation process, it becomes easy for companies to lose track of what the initial goal or benefit that the software was intended to meet. Consequently, it becomes difficult to recognize whether the software had successfully fulfilled its intended purpose and with benefits ultimately going unnoticed. To avoid this, always keep your business’ goal in mind or reach out to your ERP partner to ask whether you’re maximizing the use of your software.

ERP software implementation can be intimidating, which is why we at WebSan are always willing to offer our services and help you answer any questions that you may have. Contact us with any questions that you may have and we’ll be happy to have someone chat with you whether over the phone or through email.

Nowadays, technologies change so quickly that it becomes challenging for executives to keep a pulse on the different things going on in the tech industry and sometimes even manage so many options out in the market. From on-premise to cloud, from desktop to mobile – it may be hard to believe, but those significant shifts happened with ERP software just in the past couple of years. Here are 3 trends that we’re forecasting will change the ERP software industry in the next 5 years.

Consumerization

As 75% of the global workforce will consist of millennials by 2025, ERP vendors should be prepared. ERP solutions will likely become easier and more intuitive to use as well as reflect the experience of the most popular social media platforms. Millennials like to get access to technology immediately, so it’s likely that ERP systems will become accessible from any smartphone.

Data is just a bunch of numbers if you can’t get any insights from it. That’s why future ERP systems will continue to improve business intelligence modules to make them process more detailed and deeper reports, which can turn data into a competitive advantage.

Fragmentation

We can already catch the change in ERP implementation – companies more often give a preference to multiple point ERP solutions (e.g. warehouse management system) over full ERP systems. The reasons behind this preference are lower costs, lower risks and shorter period of implementation. So, in the nearest future we will see more fragmented ERP systems that will simplify business processes for companies.

Get to know whether you’re on track with all ERP trends by downloading our free ERP assessment.

ERP implementation is a quite an expensive and difficult process not only for small companies but for some multinational giants as well. However, with full preparation and thorough research to manage expectations, a successful ERP implementation can be achieved. Below, we outline the 3 biggest failure cases of ERP implementation and offer tips on what you can do to avoid the same mistakes.

Nike and a $400 Million “Glitch”

In 2000, Nike decided to upgrade their ERP system and invested $400 million dollars into the software called i2, where their initial goal was to manage supply chain and forecast the demand for products. This decision became a disaster for shoe giant with $100 million in sales loss and 20% stock price decrease because of a software glitch, which in turn, made stores unable to fill orders for the Air Jordans.

To avoid the same mistake, be sure to set realistic goals for your ERP implementation process early on and ensure that you take enough time to test the system for any kinks that need to be ironed out before moving forward with implementation.

Hershey and a Halloween Disaster

July of 1999 is a month which everybody in Hershey would rather want to forget because of the new ERP system launch that proved to be unsuccessful. A total of $112 million in investments were supposed to create an integrated ERP environment. However, this decision led to delivery problems of $100 million worth candies for Halloween 1999.

To make sure that your ERP implementation will go smoothly, set enough time to train the employees on a new software and don’t skip any steps in the testing process recommended by your ERP system provider.

Hewlett Packard and Lost Orders

In 2004, ERP implementation in HP was supposed to result in saved costs, shorter delivery time and development of a world-wide distribution network but brought $160 million of losses instead. A failure in migration resulted in 20% of orders to be trapped in the old ERP system

If you don’t want to be in HP’s shoes, plan the internal implementation process very carefully, otherwise it may lead to a lot of small mistakes and ultimately, a big failure in the end.

For more tips and techniques on how to save your company from an ERP implementation disaster, download our free ERP whitepaper.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software offers the benefits of streamlined and integrated business processes, lower cost of operation, improved reporting capabilities, data security and increased productivity. With multiple benefits brought about by an efficient ERP system, the process of selecting the right system that can help support your organization’s needs can at times be daunting.

To help increase the odds of choosing the right ERP software, below is an ERP selection tip sheet that outlines key steps for selecting the right ERP software.

1. Know and prioritize your software requirements

Start by identifying what challenges you want to solve and what your current system is unable to do for you. It’s best to divide the list into features that are must-haves and nice-to-haves. The more specific you can be about your software requirements, the better. As an article from Software Advice notes: “by knowing what you need, you’ll be in a better position to control the selection process, rather than let software vendors dictate your needs.”

2. Carefully evaluate your options before deciding on an ERP system

It’s important to consult management and key stakeholders and ask them for their input in the evaluation phase. It’s also worth considering how the systems you’ve shortlisted affect integration with your existing office systems, the ERP system’s reporting capabilities and metrics.

3. Build a short list of software vendors

Determine which vendors best serve your industry, requirements and budget. Remember that it’s best to list five or fewer vendors and products to evaluate.

4. Closely evaluate live software demos

Start by preparing brief demo scripts that detail specific workflows that you want to evaluate in the demo. After each demo, meet with your team to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the demo and compare notes.

5. Compare prices

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of vendors, you can now ask the vendors for a detailed price quote and compare in terms of what vendors will offer with support, training, third-party hardware and pricing models.

6. Get references from vendors

Ask the vendor you’ve chosen for a reference that shares a similar business need and size. When talking to the reference, don’t hesitate to ask about challenges that they faced with the system and how the vendor was able to address issues.

7. Decide

Given all of the information that you’ve gathered from the process, decide if the vendor and ERP system is the right fit for your organization. Ensure that all the agreements and requirements that must be fulfilled are noted in writing from the vendor.

Implementing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software and projects are no easy tasks. With many moving parts and personnel involved in the mix, the process becomes all the more daunting. To help avoid common pitfalls and offer some considerations, Software Advice, a trusted resource and advisory firm for ERP software buyers, recently conducted an analysis of 22 failed implementation projects and looked into the most common reasons for failure in this e-book.

The e-book notes that ERP implementation failure can often be attributed when one or more of the following key goals are not met:

On-time implementation

On- or under-budget implementation costs

Minimal disruption to business operations

Improved organizational efficiency

Reduced operating costs

Increased sales or revenue

One main takeaway from these is that “ERP implementation rarely fails because of the software itself,” as only 18 percent of the failures included in the study were due to buggy software.

To avoid implementation failure, it’s best if the organization take the time to do due diligence and fully research the ERP system, have personnel, particularly consultants completely understand the client’s needs and have a trusted vendor give you a realistic view of the system’s capabilities.

Implementing an ERP solution takes time, so it’s worthwhile to test drive the software and plan ahead for your IT team to prepare for the implementation and additional customizations and decisions that may need to be made at a later date.

Forrest Burnson, Software Advice’s Market Research Associate puts it best: “Regardless of the platform you select, the principles of a proper implementation remain the same: Know what you need and know what you're buying; get buy-in from all of the relevant stakeholders in your organization; make sure to actively involve your IT team in the implementation and listen to their concerns; understand that the software alone will not fix your business's problems—often your business will have to adapt to the software, not the other way around.”

To learn more about how WebSan Solutions can help your ERP implementation process, download our free ERP Whitepaper or take our ERP Assessment.

Purchasing ERP software is a major investment for any organization as it is one of the most important technologies used to manage business functions and processes. For an organization to determine if they are optimizing their ERP software’s capabilities, taking an ERP Assessment will prove to be extremely useful.

An ERP Assessment is used to evaluate the capabilities of an organization’s current ERP system. A valuable ERP Assessment will help determine whether an organization’s team is equipped with the tools and information it needs to function effectively and find out whether or not the organization’s ERP system is meeting the business’s needs.

An ERP Assessment will look into different aspects of the organization, such as system integration, quality of received data, use of Microsoft Excel, budget, and dependence on paper forms and templates.

Understanding how an organization utilizes their ERP system will provide insight into possible opportunities, potential risks, and areas that require improvement.

Take our free ERP Assessment and learn how you can best leverage your ERP software. When you take our free ERP Assessment, you will gain access to our free Dynamics GP and CRM demos and an ERP whitepaper!

An Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system helps integrate processes which are essential to a business, including accounting, inventory, order management, human resources, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM). Today, an increasing number of both big and small to mid-sized organizations use ERP software to help streamline processes and information across the organization and integrate these functions into a single, complete system.

Software Advice, a trusted resource and advisory firm for software buyers recently conducted a study that analyzed the purchasing behaviour and implementation concerns of 250 prospective ERP software buyers. The study reveals that 54 percent of current ERP users are dissatisfied with their systems’ integration capabilities—this is one of the main reasons why many are seeking out a new ERP system.

ERP Implementation and Support

The study notes that 24 percent of buyers want to replace their current ERP software due to a lack of technical support. Forrest Burnson, the study’s main researcher, says, "It's critical for firms to carefully assess how capable they are in selecting and implementing a new ERP system. All too often there is a disconnect between a firm's expectations and what the vendor will actually provide in terms of implementation services and continued support. As ERP systems are significant investments, it is wise for prospective buyers to seek the help of a third party consulting firm if they're unable to do all of the due diligence in-house to ensure that the selection and implementation processes go smoothly.”

What WebSan Solutions Can Offer

Implementing an ERP system that caters to a business’ needs and budget is no easy task. Along with a system that is fully functional, organizations should seek a cost-effective support service to ensure that the system runs smoothly and effectively.

As the study further details, an ERP system has a life cycle of 10 years or more, making it more critical that businesses ensure that their ERP system grows and scales according to their business’ immediate and future needs.

WebSan Solutions offers Microsoft Dynamics GP implementation along with valuable resources like training, free webinars and outstanding support. We believe in offering professional, practical advice that is customized to help businesses achieve long term growth.

Today Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs) are developed and implemented so fast that it is hard to keep up with all this surplus of information. What is more, companies should make sure that during and after the implementation, all employees must be adequately trained on the system’s capabilities.

Using technology to facilitate this process is an essential technique to minimize costs and improve its effectiveness. Instead of buying expensive classroom training courses, nowadays you can easily buy e – learning courses that will save the company money, time and a lot of effort. Below you will find some of the benefits that e –Training will bring to your organization:

A fun and interactive way to understand complicated software, such as ERP.

Test your knowledge by completing online quizzes.

Learn on your own pace.

More affordable than classroom training.

WebSan Solutions offers a comprehensive e - Training solution for Microsoft Dynamics GP through WebSan University. Videos, tests and a lot more of interactive documentation help you understand and apply procedures easily in the convenience of your own time and place. You can also choose between a variety of courses for both beginners and advanced users. You can even setup your company’s unique course catalogue customized to your specific needs.